


Proof that you're human

by skyloftclouds



Category: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Aerith is mentioned, Angeal is mentioned, Cloud is in SOLDIER, Falling In Love, Fluff, Genesis is mentioned, Hojo is mentioned, Hurt/Comfort, Jenova is mentioned, Love Confessions, M/M, Sephiroth Needs a Hug, Sephiroth thinks he's a monster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:00:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24492394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyloftclouds/pseuds/skyloftclouds
Summary: Sephiroth thinks he's a monster because of his wing and unusual eyes. Cloud tries to help him as best as he can and may have fallen in love with him along the way.
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife
Comments: 6
Kudos: 58





	Proof that you're human

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I'm a huge fan of sane Sephiroth and Crisis Core in general, but I've never played it. So pretty much all my knowledge on this game comes from watching 4 hours of cutscenes and reading lots of Time Travel Fanfics.  
> I basically extended the time Cloud spends at Shinra before the Nibelheim incident takes place. Angeal and Genesis also didn't go away, they're still there. And Cloud is 18 years old. He still was a trooper at the beginning but he managed to get to Second Class over the years.   
> Hope you enjoy reading this rollercoaster of feels!

Cloud had always found Sephiroth’s black wing fascinating. It was soft to the touch and occasionally dropped some feathers, as if Sephiroth was shedding like a cat or dog did.  
At the beginning, Cloud was kind of jealous. He wanted to have a wing too. Not only because it would give him the ability to fly, but because it felt like he would be one step closer to freedom. Zack had often said the same things, mostly referring to his mentor Angeal.  
Cloud knew Sephiroth didn’t see his wing that way. For him it was just another proof of his inhumanity, proofing he was indeed a monster and not the wonderful human being Cloud claimed him to be. They had fought often because of this and every single time Sephiroth would look at him with tears welling in his eyes begging him to give him some proof that he wasn’t a monster. It caught Cloud off guard the first time. Seeing the supposedly stern and ice-cold General crying was not something he had expected.  
Since then Cloud had come up with a list of all the wonderful things Sephiroth had done which now hung on the door of his fridge. Occasionally he would add a few things. He didn’t know if it helped Sephiroth, the silver haired man didn’t really talk about his emotions and inner demons if he could avoid it. But the arguments got fewer and Cloud supposed it did help him in the end.

Their relationship with each other was different than the one Cloud had with Zack, but it wasn’t exactly love either, or was it? Since Cloud had advanced to SOLDIER 2nd Class they had seen each other more often – most of the time because of missions – and they trusted each other. But Cloud kept insisting there was nothing between them, which earned him a big grin from Zack every time they crossed that subject.

  
Cloud was currently sitting across Sephiroth, frowning as he read a mission report. It appeared AVALANCHE was starting to get serious with their threats. Sure, he didn’t really care that they were out for President Shinra’s head, but they had to deal with them, nonetheless. “Right now, the Turks are guarding him, but it’s only a matter of time before we’re getting sent on another mission involving them. It’d be best to be prepared, just in case.” Cloud nodded. “Right, sir.”

  
Sephiroth sighed and got up from his chair. He walked over to his huge windows and looked outside. “I told you to stop calling me ‘sir’ in private.” “Sorry…” Cloud dropped his head, although he knew Sephiroth didn’t see it. He stood up and walked over to him carefully. “Can I ask you something?” Sephiroth turned around to look at him, his green eyes piercing him. Cloud almost regretted asking. Sephiroth seemed to notice the slight panic on his face and quickly offered a comforting smile. He knew of the intimidating effect he had on others.

  
“Go ahead.” Cloud fiddled with his fingers and looked at his boots as if they were the most interesting thing in the entire room. “Can… Can I see your wing?” Sephiroth didn’t say anything for a while and Cloud feared for the worst. Well, the worst would probably be him denying his request, which wasn’t exactly a bad thing, considering Sephiroth’s view of his wing.Cloud slowly looked up and saw Sephiroth staring at him with an unreadable expression. “You don’t have to do it if it makes you uncomfortable! I… ugh. That was a bad idea, forget it.” “It’s fine. I have to get used to seeing it, right?” Cloud nodded. “But I don’t want to force you. I know how uncomfortable it makes you…” He didn’t know why he cared so much for him. Why his heart ached whenever he saw Sephiroth being sad. Deep down he knew, he just wanted to ignore it, wanted to cherish the moment of peace a little bit more.

“If it makes you happy, I shall fulfill your request.” A second later the black wing appeared, instantly dropping a few feathers. If one tried to touch them, they would dissolve into black dust. “You know, I really like your wing.” Cloud approached the window and looked outside. He quickly averted his eyes of the sight and focused on the pitch-black wing.

“Some time ago I wished I had one too. For me, wings symbolize freedom.” Sephiroth didn’t answer, but Cloud saw how his lips slowly formed a frown. Had he gone too far? “Ah, sorry.” “It’s fine.” Cloud shook his head. “I should probably go back. I still have to do some training with Zack.” This wasn’t entirely a lie, but right now he just wanted to get out of this awkward situation. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?” He smiled brightly at Sephiroth and a second later he was out of the room, leaving Sephiroth alone with a lot of emotions welling up inside him.

“You literally left him there after asking him to show you his wing?” Zack looked at Cloud with a raised eyebrow and one second later he was laughing. “This isn’t funny!” Zack patted him on his shoulder. “I know, Spikey. But it’s so you, isn’t it?” Cloud rolled his eyes and walked over to Zack’s fridge, maybe he had something edible in there. “I feel kind of shitty because of it. Like, for a moment he looked like he was going to cry again if I had continued talking.” He found nothing inside the fridge and briefly wondered when Zack had last gone grocery shopping.

“But he did say it was fine, right?” “Sephiroth says a lot of things if he doesn’t want you to worry. I figured that out by now.” Zack sighed and ruffled his own hair.

“And here I thought I would know him better than you did.” Cloud shrugged. “You probably still do.” “Don’t worry buddy. I don’t think you hurt his feelings that much. He’s a tough one.” Cloud nodded. “Yeah. Maybe I should check if he’s okay.” “Nah, I can do that for you if it puts your mind at ease. But first let’s train a bit, alright?”

* * * * * *

Sephiroth laid on his couch, staring up at the white ceiling. He wondered why Cloud had disappeared so quickly. Had he done something wrong? Of course Cloud had to train every day in order to advance to First Class, but who on Gaia was training at 8 PM? As far as Sephiroth could remember he had never done that before, clearly something was wrong.

Cloud had been acting strangely for a while now and Sephiroth couldn’t really tell why. He was still as happy as always, but it seemed like he was paying much more attention to Sephiroth’s feelings and needs. Which made him feel like Cloud thought he couldn’t take care of himself. Why did he even care so much? He was different from the rest of SOLDIER, his black wing showed that much. But it wasn’t only the wing, at least Angeal and Genesis had one too, so he wasn’t alone with that fact.

His eyes screamed freak even from a safe distance and his hair wasn’t normal either. He was just the same as those monsters in Hojo’s laboratory, which were contained in tubs full of mako. His parents had left him at an early age, he only knew his mother’s name was Jenova. Everything combined made him the perfect abomination, he knew it.

Sephiroth started to hear Cloud’s voice in his head, arguing that he in fact was no monster. If he were here, he would probably do that again, while shoving him to his fridge so he could look at the list of all the good things he had done so far. Wait. _The list_. It was still hanging on the door, he hadn’t bothered removing it.

He got up and walked over there. The list had gotten longer since the last time he had looked at it. That was only two weeks ago. Cloud really meant it when he assured him he would keep it updated.

\- _You saved me from being beaten by some infantryman before I got into the SOLDIER program_

\- _You laugh when one of us makes a dumb joke_

\- _You have a sense of humor, even if it’s dry as hell_

\- _You worry for your friends and close ones, even if you don’t want to admit it_

Sephiroth stopped reading, his hands had started shaking. He wasn’t really used to others caring for him, it was still an unknown and kind of scary feeling.

He returned to his couch with a sigh and laid down once again, maybe a nap would be good right now. Before he fell asleep though, he wondered why Cloud was taking so much care of him. It was even more than Zack did.

* * * * * *

After having finished his training with Cloud, Zack kept his promise to check in on Sephiroth. Luckily all the First Class SOLDIERS lived on one floor, so it was on his way back to his own apartment.

He knew Sephiroth hated it when people came in unannounced, but at least he didn’t barge into his apartment like Genesis used to do before Cloud got promoted to Second Class. Since then the redhead had learned to be a bit more respectful and knock on the front door.

Zack carefully knocked, he knew Sephiroth would hear it. He had probably already heard his footsteps once he got out of the elevator.

For a moment nothing happened, Zack figured he was probably taking a nap or busy with more paperwork. Then he heard the door unlock and Sephiroth popped his silver haired head outside. “Ah, it’s you.” Zack smiled brightly and put his hands on his waist. “Just wanted to check if you’re okay.” “I feel fine.” “Can I come in?” Zack saw the hesitation in his eyes, but Sephiroth nonetheless gave in and gestured for him to come inside.

After Zack had plopped down on his couch, he watched Sephiroth’s face carefully. It was the only way to at least have an idea of what was going on inside his head. He figured it had to do with him being trained to show as little emotions as possible from an early age. The thought alone created a lump in his throat, but he quickly swallowed it down.

“I assume Cloud told you about our little exchange?” Zack nodded. “I’m not here to ask any questions or put my nose up your business, Seph.” He saw how Sephiroth flinched slightly at the nickname. “But I think you two should talk tomorrow.” “He is upset, isn’t he?” “That’s for you to find out. I’m not going to get involved in whatever you two have going on. But I can tell you that talking through it in a healthy manner would help. At least it did for Aerith and me.” Zack smiled as he said his girlfriend’s name. He remembered how upset she was at the beginning if he would disappear without saying when he would be back. It was by no means the same as the situation Sephiroth and Cloud were in but talking had proved to be a lot more helpful than avoiding the topic entirely.

“I will try to make amends tomorrow.” Zack smiled. “I’ll be there if anyone of you want to talk, though. It’s okay to ask for help.” With those words he stood up and got outside the apartment, but before he closed the door, he smiled brightly at Sephiroth and gave him a thumbs up.

* * * * * *

Cloud woke up the next day with his muscles feeling sore, he may have overdone it the previous day. One look to his PHS let him jolt out of his bed, it was well past 9 AM and he had promised Zack to meet him at breakfast at 8 AM.

After quickly getting dressed he glanced at his PHS once more to check the time, only to see he had gotten a message from Sephiroth.

_9:04 AM, Sephiroth_

_Meet me at my office once you’ve woken up and eaten something._

He didn’t reply, instead he messaged Zack.

_9:04 AM, Cloud_

_Zack! I’m so sorry for oversleeping!!_

_09:05 AM, Zack_

_No worries, Spike. Meet me at the cafeteria. ;D_

Cloud quickly got to the cafeteria and spotted Zack sitting at a table, waving at him. He noticed that Zack had already gotten him breakfast.

“Good morning.” “Good morning, Spike! How’s it going?” “I feel a little bit sore, but it’s fine.” Zack nodded with a knowing look. “It gets better once they increase your mako treatments. I’ve been there, trust me.” The rest of the breakfast they spend in a comfortable silence.

Afterwards Zack offered to take him along on a mission in the Sector 3 Slums, but Cloud kindly refused. He still needed to meet Sephiroth, even if he didn’t really want to. It wasn’t that he hated being in the others presence, it just felt really awkward sometimes.

He decided to text Sephiroth to announce he was going to be there soon.

_09:46 AM, Cloud_

_I’ll be there shortly, I may have overslept a bit, sorry._

There was no reply, but he didn’t really expect him to say something anyway.

Once Cloud stepped outside the elevator, he felt a lump in his chest. He didn’t know why he was so anxious of meeting Sephiroth. They hadn’t really argued this time, maybe he just wanted to talk to him about another mission.

He knocked on the door and within a few seconds it opened, revealing Sephiroth. “Ah, you’re here. Come in.” He opened the door a bit wider and Cloud could swear he saw a faint smile on his lips.

“Is there another mission for me?” Sephiroth shook his head and Cloud swallowed hard. “I just wanted to talk to you.” When Cloud didn’t say anything, he offered another small smile. “Did I ever thank you for the list on my fridge?” Cloud nodded. “You did. Several times I believe.” “Oh. Nevertheless, I’m glad you put it there.” Cloud knew what he implied. It didn’t really surprise him that Sephiroth most likely has had another episode once he had left so abruptly. “You’re welcome…”

They were now sitting on his couch and Cloud uncomfortably shifted around. He wasn’t afraid, it was actually the opposite and he tried his best to hide it, he didn’t want Sephiroth to worry, or worse, think he was frightened of him. As if the General could read his thoughts, his eyes filled with worry. “You’re not scared, are you?” “N-No.” And of course his voice had to betray him too, Gaia be damned.

again because I’m just like those monsters down in the lab.” Uh oh, that was bad. Like really bad. “And then Zack came over after your training and was dropping some cryptic hints.” Cloud looked up from his hands to see tears welling in his eyes. Extremely bad. If Sephiroth would start crying now, Cloud was sure he would end up crying too.

“It’s not like that.” Cloud sighed. Sephiroth looked at him, tears slowly rolling down his cheek. Cloud bit his bottom lip to suppress his own tears. “You don’t think I’m a monster?” “Of course not! Ever since I was a child, I looked up to you, not even once did I think of you as a monster. Your wing is beautiful and while it does make you look special and out of line, it doesn’t mean that you’re a monster.” “But those things down in the labs. They’re the same as me.” Cloud had enough, he got up and sat down in front of Sephiroth, grabbing his shaking hands.

“Those things don’t feel a thing. But you, you feel something, don’t you? You feel sadness, happiness. You can get angry at Genesis if he reads LOVELESS aloud for the hundredth of time, you laugh at the jokes Zack makes. Those are all qualities of a human, Sephiroth.” Sephiroth’s breath hitched and the tears continued falling down. “But I’m hurting so much.” “Which is human too. All those feelings and emotions, they’re proof you’re alive. Proof that you’re a human.”

For a moment neither said anything and the only sounds filling the room were Sephiroth’s sobs. Cloud felt like his heart was going to fall apart if he had to listen to those sounds any longer, but he had to get it out of his system. A few minutes later Sephiroth’s wing appeared. Cloud knew by now that he could control it to a degree, but if he was stressed or upset the wing would just pop up.

“See? A normal human doesn’t have a wing.” “Then what are Angeal and Genesis? They have a wing too.” “They don’t have my eyes or hair. They look normal.” Cloud reached out to touch the wing, it was soft. “Your eyes and hair are special. They make you unique. And I love you not just because of your appearance but because of your personality too.” Sephiroth’s breathing slowed down and Cloud looked up to see that he had stopped shaking.

“You love me?” Cloud’s heart stopped beating for a second. He slipped up. “How can you love something that’s so broken?” And there were the tears again. _Fuck it_ , Cloud thought, _if it’s out there I might as well repeat it_. “I love you because you’re you.” “You’re lying.” “I can repeat it all day, Sephiroth.” He was silent for a while. Then he started to whisper the words over and over again until Sephiroth’s wing slapped him across the face. “You’re lying! Lies! Everything you say are lies!” Cloud climbed on his lap and took his face between his hands, staring into his piercing green eyes. “I love you, you dumbass! I love you. I love you…” His words faded into a choked sob. Ah great, now he was crying as well. “I made you cry, didn’t I?” Cloud violently shook his head. “That’s not true.” Sephiroth put his arms around his waist and Cloud let go of his face, instead burying his own face in his chest.

They both kept crying for a while until they passed out from exhaustion.

Once Cloud woke up, he noticed he was lying on top of Sephiroth. He quickly slid off him when he felt Sephiroth’s hand around his wrist. “Stay.” “I will. Just let me sit comfortably, okay?” Sephiroth nodded and sat up, Cloud plopped down next to him.

“Do you really love me?” Sephiroth asked. Cloud fidgeted with his fingers once again. “Uh... yeah.” “I don’t know what to say.” “I noticed. But you don’t have to say anything. It’s fine.” Silence filled the room once more. It seemed Sephiroth had spent the time thinking.

“You know, I think I love you too.” Cloud turned to look at him. “Huh?” “It feels warm and like thousands of butterflies are flying around in your stomach, right?” Cloud nodded. “I always get that feeling when I look at you. But I thought it wasn’t something I should pay attention to.” Of course he had felt that way. Hojo had probably spent all his childhood drilling into him that emotions are a weakness and there’s no place for love in his life. The more he thought about it he got the urge to pay Hojo a visit at night and kill him silently. “Someday I’m going to kill Hojo.” Cloud’s voice was filled with a hint of hate. Sephiroth laughed then his face got all serious again.

“I want to ask you something, Cloud.” “Go ahead.” “Do you want to be in a relationship with me?” Cloud’s eyes widened. “For real?” “Do I look like I’m joking?” Cloud shook his head and smiled. “Of course I want to!” Sephiroth leaped forward and kissed Cloud, whose eyes widened once more.

He had dreamed of this for a while now but had always thought Sephiroth wouldn’t love him back, not just because of their age difference. “You know. You’ve just made me the happiest person alive, Seph.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was so much fun to write and I may revisit this idea in the future.  
> I actually didn't think I would write a 3.4K Oneshot. Normally I reach the 2K mark and that's it. I don't even know why I wrote this, I just wanted to upload some Sefikura fluff before school starts tomorrow and then this happened. :'D  
> Well, I hope I get to upload something soon.  
> Until then, stay safe everyone! <3


End file.
